Rasa
From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia
By Swami Harshananda
Rasa literally means ‘that which is tasted’.
General Meaning[edit]
One of the most extensively used words is Rasa. It has 24 different meanings and senses. In general, it means the essence or core-part of anything.
As per Darśanas[edit]
In the darśanas[1] it stands for the subtle element water.[2]
As per Ayurveda[edit]
In the Ayurveda and allied health sciences, it stands for mercury.
As per Culinary Arts[edit]
In the culinary arts, it represents six different kinds of tastes:
- Sweet
- Sour
- Salty
- Hot[3]
- Bitter
- Astringent
As per Poetics[edit]
In poetics, it stands for the navarasas or nine kinds of sentiments or emotions. They are:
- The amorous
- The heroic
- The wondrous
- The ridiculous
- The sentiments of compassion
- Humor
- Fear
- Horror
- Loathsomeness
As per Taittirīyopaniṣad[edit]
The Taittirīyopaniṣad[4] calls Brahman as rasa.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore